Author: Arpi Talalian

“Historical-Cultural Heritage of Yerevan” two-day workshop launched

Arpi Talalian

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 14:13,

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS. A two-day seminar titled “Historical-Cultural Heritage of Yerevan” kicked off today in the Matenadaran – the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts.

Director of the Historical-Cultural Heritage Research Center of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, Khachik Harutyunyan, said the seminar aims at separately touching upon the historical-cultural heritage of Yerevan. It involves all phases relating to the history of Yerevan, the earliest stage, the Middle Ages, the pre-Soviet and inter-Soviet periods.

“The experience shows that our citizens are still not so well aware of the city’s history, and this is a good occasion to once again touch upon the historical-cultural heritage of our beloved capital. There are many problems in the field, but for us it’s very important that citizens recognize our historical-cultural heritage. First of all, the problems are connected with not knowing that cultural layers. We sometimes, are, really, very dishonest to our monuments and then demand to preserve these monuments”, Khachik Harutyunyan said.

As for the issues relating to the demolition of historical-cultural buildings, he said there are special professional commissions examining all narrow professional matters.

“Our organization is also engaged in that professional council and we are trying to do everything possible to preserve the buildings of historical-cultural significance”, he said.

Head of the Department of Preservation of Historical and Cultural Monuments at the Ministry, Harutyun Vanyan, said the importance of this event is that for Armenia the historical-cultural heritage has the same significance like oil, gas and gold for other countries.

“For us it’s very important that our historical-cultural heritage is popularized as much as possible and also brings a tourism investment attraction which is also one of the government’s strategy plans. I would like to note that there is a draft on making change in the law on historical and cultural monuments and historical environment, which has been developed by the ministry of culture and submitted to the government, and it involves a number of important reforms”, Harutyun Vanyan said.

Today’s workshop aims to inventory Yerevan’s historical-cultural heritage and organize a more comprehensive international conference in the future.

Nikol Pashinyan, Vladimir Putin refer to Armenia’s application to OSCE MG Co-chairs

Arpi Talalian

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 20:16,

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversation with the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, ARMENPRESS was infomred from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The interlocutors discussed the situation around Nagorno Karabakh, referred to the implementation process of the agreements stipulated in the trilateral statements of November 9, 2020, January 11 and November 26, 2021. Nikol Pashinyan and Vladimir Putin also referred to Armenia’s application to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs regarding the organization of negotiations on a peace treaty.

The Armenian and Russian leaders exchanged views on the Armenian-Turkish dialogue, the latest regional developments, and the situation in Ukraine.

Issues related to the forthcoming official visit of the Prime Minister of Armenia to the Russian Federation were also discussed.

TURKISH, ARMENIAN FMS HOLD ‘FRUITFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE’ MEETING IN ANTALYA

Arpi Talalian

Entornointeligente.com / The two neighbouring countries’ relations entered a new phase after both countries appointed special representatives, which held their first meeting on January 14 in Moscow. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu noted that Azerbaijan supports the normalisation process between Ankara and Yerevan. (AA) A historic bilateral meeting has taken place between the foreign ministers of Türkiye and Armenia on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

Speaking to reporters, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu described the meeting with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan as “extremely fruitful and constructive.”

Cavusoglu also noted that Azerbaijan supports the normalisation process between Ankara and Yerevan.

READ MORE: Turkiye, Armenia resume flights as normalisation looms

For his part, the Armenian minister said his country is determined to dedicate efforts for peace and stability in the region and that it is working to normalise relations with Türkiye.

‘Without preconditions’

Turkish-Armenian relations entered a new phase after both countries appointed special representatives, which held their first meeting on January 14 in Moscow.

The envoys from Türkiye and Armenia, Serdar Kilic and Ruben Rubinyan, held their second meeting in Vienna on February 24 and “reiterated their agreement to continue the process without preconditions.”

The three-day high-level Antalya Diplomacy Forum in the resort city of Antalya in southern Türkiye has brought together participants from 75 countries, including 17 heads of state, 80 government ministers, and 39 representatives of international organizations. 

READ MORE:  Erdogan: Turkey may open borders if Armenia takes positive steps for peace

Source: AA

Council of Ministers calls on Azerbaijan to comply with ECHR decision

Arpi Talalian
 NEWS.am 
Armenia –


17:30, 11.03.2022

TheCommittee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution calling for the immediate cancellation of the criminal record of a group of journalists, human rights activists and activists from Azerbaijan, said the head of the Monitoring Group of the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, lawyer Khaled Agaliyev, Turan reports.

The document was adopted at a meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe dedicated to monitoring the execution of ECtHR judgments.

The judgments of the ECtHR indicate that these applicants were persecuted for criticizing the authorities and that Article 18 of the European Convention was violated against them. This means that their persecution was politically motivated.

The applicants were released early from prison, but did not receive rehabilitation, so having a criminal record restricts their rights.

Therefore, the Committee of Ministers called on the Azerbaijani authorities to fully comply with the decisions of the ECtHR regarding these persons.

Russia does not seek to divide Ukraine into parts – Kremlin spokesman

Arpi Talalian

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 13:48, 5 March, 2022

YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine is not aimed at dividing Ukraine as Russia just seeks to ensure its own security, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sky News Arabia, reports TASS.

He pointed out that after the 2014 coup, Ukraine had fallen under the influence of Nazi ideas. “We want to see Ukraine demilitarized, we want to see Ukraine free of Nazi ideology”, Peskov noted. “Also we want to see that the neutral status of Ukraine is fixed in its Constitution and we want to have guarantees that weapons being able to change the security balance in Europe cannot be deployed to Ukraine”, he added as quoted by TASS.

The Kremlin spokesman emphasized that Russia did not seek to divide Ukraine into parts but only wanted to ensure its own national security.

Rep. Sherman: Azerbaijan must be held accountable for its legacy of aggression against Armenian people

Arpi Talalian
panorama.am
Armenia – March 1 2022


U.S. Congressman Brad Sherman issued a statement commemorating Azerbaijan’s massacre of Armenians in Sumgait and Baku, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“I stand in solidarity with the Armenian American community in commemorating the February 1988 Sumgait Pogroms. On today’s solemn anniversary, we reaffirm our resolve to oppose anti-Armenian hatred and work to ensure such history will not be repeated,” stated Rep. Sherman.

His full statement is below.

“I stand in solidarity with the Armenian American community in commemorating the February 1988 Sumgait Pogroms. Thirty-four years ago, in the Azerbaijani town of Sumgait, Azerbaijani mobs targeted and assaulted peaceful Armenian residents on the basis of their ethnicity and endured unspeakable crimes. The violence left hundreds of Armenian civilians dead and injured, women and girls were raped, some victims were burned alive, and thousands were forced to flee their homes.

This tragic anti-Armenian massacre helped touch off a wave of anti-Armenian violence that spread to Kirovabad in November 1988 and to Baku in January 1990, which culminated in the forcible expulsion of 390,000 Armenians from Azerbaijan and the 1991-94 war over Artsakh.

As we pause to honor the memories of the victims of the Sumgait Pogroms, must also use this solemn anniversary to remember the consequences that ensue when aggression and ethnic hatred grow unchecked.

This stark reminder remains evident today as the government of Azerbaijan continues its state-sponsored policy of aggression against Armenia and Artsakh. The world witnessed the consequences of Azerbaijan’s unchecked hatred against Armenians during the invasion of Artsakh in 2020 as Azeri forces committed horrendous war crimes against Armenian civilians, including women and the elderly, and illegally imprisoned Armenian POWs after the cessation of hostilities. Many POWs are still held by Azerbaijan.

The government of Azerbaijan must be held accountable by the international community for its legacy of aggression against the Armenian people – from the pogroms committed thirty-four years ago, to their relentless belligerence against Armenians that persists today. Such crimes against humanity must never go unrecognized or escape accountability, whether they occurred yesterday or 30 years ago or 100 years ago.

As a Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Congressional Armenian Caucus for 25 years, I have worked in Congress to shed light on such atrocities and hold those responsible accountable. On today’s solemn anniversary, we reaffirm our resolve to oppose anti-Armenian hatred and work to ensure such history will not be repeated.”

Artak Davtyan dismissed as Army Chief of Staff in Armenia

Arpi Talalian
Feb 24 2022
– 15:09 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Lieutenant General Artak Davtyan has been dismissed as the Chief of Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces.

Acting President Alen Simonyan signed a relevant decree on Thursday, February 24.

Davtyan held the position from May 2018 until his dismissal in June 2020. He was reappointed Chief of the General Staff in March 2021. Before that, he served as the commander of the 5th Army Corps.

Armenian Defense Ministry denied Baku’s statement about the shelling of Azerbaijani posts on the border

Arpi Talalian
Feb 15 2022

YEREVAN, February 15. /Then24/. Baku’s statement that the Armenian Armed Forces fired at the positions of the Azerbaijani army in the northeastern and eastern directions of the border does not correspond to reality. This was reported on Tuesday in a press release from the Armenian military department.

“The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has again spread disinformation, claiming that on February 14 and 15, units of the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire on Azerbaijani military positions located in the northeastern and eastern parts of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is relatively stable and is under full control of the Armed Forces of Armenia,” the report says.

Earlier, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan reported on the shelling of the positions of the armed forces of the republic on the border of the two countries from the territory of Armenia. According to the ministry, on the night of February 15, the positions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces came under fire from the territory of the adjacent Tovuz region.

On November 16, 2021, intense fighting took place between the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the border regions of the Syunik region of Armenia. Yerevan stated that the Azerbaijani military launched an offensive deep into the territory of Armenia. The state highway connecting the capital of the republic with the southern regions of the country and Iran was under threat. Baku blamed Armenia for what happened, accusing the Armenian armed forces of provocation. According to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, the Armenian servicemen attacked the posts of the Azerbaijani military.

In connection with these events, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu alternately held telephone conversations with colleagues from Armenia and Azerbaijan. The press service of the Russian defense ministry reported that after that, the heads of the Azerbaijani and Armenian defense ministries took measures to stabilize the situation on the border, the situation returned to normal. However, the parties periodically report incidents in this direction of the state border. The latest incident occurred on January 11 this year. Then one Azerbaijani soldier died. The Armenian side also suffered losses.

Davit Harutyunyan: New law eliminated constitutional guarantees for judges’ independence

Arpi Talalian
panorama.am
Armenia – Feb 16 2022


Author Lala Ter-Ghazaryan

Judge Davit Harutyunyan of the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction believes that the amendments to Armenia’s Judicial Code and Criminal Procedure Code passed earlier in February will not survive long, while the reactions of international organizations to the legislative changes will not be late.

“Sooner or later, the law will be declared unconstitutional, or the leading international organizations, that were referred to during the adoption of the amendments, will call for their review,” Harutyunyan told Panorama.am in an interview on Wednesday.

“I simply rule out that the Venice Commission would have approved the passage of such a bill in such a manner. I believe the position of the Venice Commission concerning another situation has been falsely presented. In addition, based on an application, the Constitutional Court will rule on this law sooner or later,” he stated.

The Armenian National Assembly passed in the second and final reading the draft laws calling for amendments and supplements to the Judicial Code and the Criminal Procedure Code on February 9.

Under the amendments authored by ruling Civil Contract faction MPs Vladimir Vardanyan and Vahagn Hovakimyan, five members of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), a state body overseeing Armenian courts, are enough to greenlight disciplinary proceedings against judges. Previously, such decisions had to be approved by at least seven of the ten SJC members.

The changes lowering this threshold were not included in the initial version of the bill adopted by the parliament in the first reading in January. They were added shortly before its passage in the second reading.

“The new law has neutralized and nullified the constitutional guarantees for judges’ independence. The Constitution clearly set the threshold for bringing judges to account, suspending them, etc. The amendments cannot be called a clarification of the SJC’s powers. Obviously, the constitutional guarantees for the independence of judges are being neutralized or reduced,” Harutyunyan said.

Before being put on the agenda of the parliament, the authors did not discuss the proposed changes with representatives of the legal community. Armenian lawyers and judges were unaware of them.

“No judge was aware of the changes. We can assume from the statements that only certain members of the SJC were aware of such wordings of the law or they themselves made such formulations along with some MPs. There are SJC judges, who were unaware of the bill,” the judge stated.

He said he would have opposed the amendments if they had been discussed with judges. “They run counter to the Constitution, neutralizing or eliminating the constitutional guarantees,” the judge said.

In response to the question why such controversial changes were made, the judge quoted Minister of Justice Karen Andreasyan as saying at the February 10 cabinet meeting that the move “aims to remove bad judges from the judicial system.”

“The statements of minsters and judges make it clear that the law seeks to get rid of judges or to punish them under the guise of the clarification of the SJC powers. I tend to believe the justice minister’s statements. As for who the bad judges are, it turns out that the minister will decide for himself,” Harutyunyan noted, adding circle of “bad” judges has already been outlined.

As a result of the discussions that followed the launch of disciplinary proceedings against the judges of the SJC, Harutyunyan came to the conclusion that the state body first picks up judges, and then tries to ascribe violations to them.

“The last [SJC] meeting, especially the questions and answers, made it clear that reports about possible violations [of judges] are not submitted to the SJC, but rather judges are picked up first and then efforts are made to ascribe certain violations to them. To put it short, the selection of judges is mostly targeted,” he stressed.

Harutyunyan claims there is already opposition to the law, which will father intensity in the future.

Armenia, Artsakh Ombudsmen issue statement over persecution announced by Azeri authorities against President Harutyunyan

Arpi Talalian

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 10:12,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. The statement of the Azerbaijani authorities related to the criminal prosecution of the President of the Republic of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan is a step aimed at concealing their own war crimes, misleading the international community and intimidating the peaceful population of Artsakh, Ombudsmen of Armenia and Artsakh Arman Tatoyan and Gegham Stepanyan said in a statement.

“The Azerbaijani authorities have always pursued a policy of isolating Artsakh from the outside world, concealing human rights violations and war crimes against peace by falsifying facts. In doing so, they continue to grossly violate the absolute international requirements of human rights and humanitarian law.

The practice of targeting Armenia’s, Artsakh’s, as well as international public figures, experts and journalists; blackmailing and persecuting them with so-called blacklists is the best proof that the calls and statements of the Azerbaijani authorities about peace are false, are veiled to the outside world with the purpose of concealing their real intentions.

In reality, for years a policy of sponsoring hatred and hostility towards Armenians has been carried out with ethnic and religious pillars as two main grounds, with deep intolerance.

In fact, a genocidal policy has been carried out, which is still going on.

Even in the education system there is a policy of hatred and enmity towards Armenians, ensuring similar reproduction in the future, the spread of hatred in the society (based on facts).

This policy is the source that nurtured and encouraged the atrocities and torture by the Azerbaijani armed forces against the civilian population of Armenia and Artsakh; the ethnic cleansing of the civilian population during the 44-day Artsakh war, with various armed attacks and criminal acts before and after that war.

These are the Azerbaijani authorities that are directly responsible for war crimes against humanity, including destruction of almost all civilian communities in Artsakh, using terrorists and mercenaries to deliberately target, kill 80 and injure 165 civilians, torture Armenian captives; for mutilation of the killed servicemen’s bodies; for depriving the 40,000 civilian population of Artsakh of their homeland and houses, for forcibly displacing them, for desecrating the Armenian historical and cultural monuments in Artsakh, for vandalizing them.

The Azerbaijani authorities are responsible for the internationally unacceptable armed attacks during the COVID-19 pandemic, which paralyzed healthcare systems of Armenia and Artsakh and resulted in sharp increase in deaths.

In the same way, by initiating criminal cases against various public figures, human rights defenders and journalists (including international ones), they tried to cover up the atrocities committed and future atrocities against the peaceful Armenian population of Artsakh.

After the 44-day war, this policy of the Azerbaijani authorities has intensified and took new forms. They do not allow people to rebuild their lives after the war, they constantly try to create an atmosphere of despair for the civilian population through daily criminal encroachments on the security of people, life and other vital rights and other terrorist acts.

The above assessments of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia and the Human Rights Ombudsman of Artsakh are based on reliable, concrete facts and have been included in our numerous reports.

Therefore, the purpose of the persecution announced by the Azerbaijani authorities against the President of the Republic of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan is nothing but to intimidate every person living in Artsakh, to cause panic among the civilian population. Even the wording of the Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies clearly testifies to this goal. This, in turn, means that the persecution is politically motivated; is based on blatant manipulation of facts.

We confidently inform the international community that the Azerbaijani authorities will continue to falsify the facts, misleading with new methods, such as hiding their criminal acts against the civilian population behind calls for peace, until they are held liable for their genocidal policies; subjected to targeted response and punished for their criminal acts”, the Ombudsmen said in their statement, adding that they will send it to international organizations in separate letters.